Valanciunas is probably the best center on the board, and maybe the best prospect. He's only 19 and it'll take a lot of development and some luck, but he has the tools to be a great NBA center........................But patience is generally rewarded in the NBA, and it should be here. It would have been a lot easier to pick a more instant-impact player like Kemba Walker; picking the kid you literally have to wait on take resolve.

The Raptors gambled a bit by going with Jonas Valanciunas at #5. The issue as to whether he can come over right away has been widely reported, but the risk goes beyond that factor. Valanciunas has been playing at a high level in Europe, but it is a mixed record.

Few have banged the Valanciunas drum harder than I have in the lead up to this draft. I still think Cleveland made a mistake in not selecting him fourth overall, and despite his skinny frame I still believe he'll be a stud moving forward. I don't consider him a Joel Przybilla(notes)-type, he's way better than that, but I also know that a healthy and in-prime Joel Przybilla was better than a whole lot of this lottery. So obviously picking Valanciunas is a can't miss, in my eyes, both in a vacuum and in the context of this draft.